Muscle injuries are frequent for those who practice physical activity and must be treated appropriately. In general, for those who practice sports, the muscles must be constantly trained to avoid injury or loss of tone. In the event of an injury, however, rigorous rest is often indicated, which, however, leads to a loss of muscle mass.
Muscle strength training after an injury is essential both for stabilizing joints and for regaining fitness because, after prolonged immobilization, muscles lose strength. For this reason, it is important to follow a targeted rehabilitation process for fast muscle recovery.
How long does it take to lose muscle mass
The system that produces force and speed is called the neuromuscular system. It is composed of the nervous system (or neural system) and the muscular part (or myogenic system). Muscle fibers in turn are made up of thin filaments called myofibrils which in turn contain the functional unit of the muscle: the sarcomere.
Loss of muscle mass usually occurs after a short time: two weeks without training are enough to cause a significant drop in muscle mass.
How to regain lost muscle mass
What happens after an injury can be divided into two phases. The first is characterized by inflammation associated with immobility and consequently muscle hypotrophy, loss of strength and functionality. The second phase is the one in which the athlete gradually restarts a muscle mass recovery process; it is the time when muscle mass and muscle strength replenish.
If the sports injury occurs at a muscular level, recovery times for muscle mass are generally reduced compared to injuries involving the skeletal system. This type of injury manifests itself in the form of strains and tears that can be localized at the level of the femoral biceps, quadriceps, calf, adductors and erector muscles.
For the recovery of atrophied muscles generally two or three days of rest must pass, during which the muscle must be immobilized. Physiotherapy sessions can be useful to regain movement and reduce pain. Furthermore, it is recommended to be followed by a personal trainer to perform exercises to recover muscle mass. After about a week, generally, the lack of strength during training is reduced and you are able to partially regain movement, but resuming sporting activity is not recommended.
If it's a muscle tear, it's likely that you can start playing sports after about two weeks. In the case of stretching, on the other hand, it is necessary to wait one or two months.
How to regain muscle tone in the legs
In the event that there is a loss of muscle tone in the legs, various exercises can be performed including:
- Squat. They help increase hip flexibility; this increases the strength of the quadriceps and flexor muscles.
- Hip exercises. For leg muscle rehabilitation, it is essential to strengthen the hip and thigh flexors.
- You lunge. They help strengthen your quads and hips and give you good stability.
How to recover muscle mass in the legs
If there is a loss of muscle mass in the legs, the most important exercise to increase it is the squat, a fundamental movement because it serves to work both the legs and the buttocks in a coordinated and intense way.
In addition, specific recovery garments can be worn:
- the sock RE-CHARGE by FLOKY, provides an improvement and regenerative support of the biomechanical functions related to the tendons and muscles of the foot and leg, allowing the activation of venous return.
- the first biomechanical short ACTIVATOR by FLOKY is designed with graduated and differentiated compression combined with functional screen-printing applications that reduce vibrations and activate the muscles.
Recovery of calf muscle tone
If you have had an injury in the calf area, you should do some dedicated exercises to boost muscle tone:
- Stretching. Stretching is used to relax the muscles and facilitate the recovery phase of muscle strength.
- Cycling exercises. An excellent exercise to strengthen the calf is to practice the stationary bike, starting with the simple rotation movement with a slight resistance and then gradually increasing the effort.
- Step exercises. Going up and down the step is an ideal movement to strengthen the calf, proceeding with higher and higher steps and with progressively more accelerated movements.
What to take for muscle recovery
Both after fatigue and after a period of rest, the muscles need essential nutrients and minerals to guarantee strength and energy; you can help yourself, for this, by taking supplements aimed at sports recovery.
Furthermore, it is advisable to maintain proper hydration which, combined with a healthy diet, allows you to speed up the recovery phase and also to prevent muscle fatigue.
